street science: back on the streets with dj ripley

i’ve had the opportunity to get to know dj ripley over the past year or so as she’s transplanted herself down here to nyc from boston. she has the greatest attitude and spirit about parties, scenes, politics and being a dj for life.

From her blog:

Music exists because it crosses borders, literally and figuratively. Physical borders: eardrums, walls, and legal borders: nations, zones. The best musical experiences often occur outside legal frameworks of ownership and licenses (breaking zoning laws, squatted buildings, pirate radio). Although I am not always in official control of the venues in which I perform, I put myself and the audience in undeniable literal control of the space, to the point of creating a kind of solidarity of pleasure across social boundaries.

she threw a party last month called turn/return that a lot of nyc promoters and djs could learn from, since her values were omnipresent:  the incubation of creativity and dialogue, providing equitable and fair pay for djs, and a general positive atmosphere. tonight on street science, we will discuss the limitations and opportunities for mischief and merrymaking in new york nightlife, the music of the occupy movement, and hopefully just enjoy some great, new music.

connect with us tonight on whfr.org at a special time of 10:10pm-11:10pm.

street science: trap ambience

ゲット [download]

Playlist:

1. “shisheido” – fennesz
2. “king of sorrow (dj slackboi chopped and screwed mix)” – sade
3. “h.a.t.e.u. (party trash chopped and screwed mix)” – mariah carey
4. “post-modern ambience (pm_jawn eartha kitt knowledge drop edit)” – space shuttle oprah
5. “in the air tonight (dj screw chopped and screwed mix)” – phil collins
6. “black dunes (holy other’s woman in the dunes mix)” – they will destroy you
7. “el oeste” – john talabot
8. “the host (sines slowed bootleg)” – the weeknd
9. “espectros en el minarete” – kixly
10. “questionaire” – seduced
11. “sa*yo*na*ra” – ~ Ǥ õ § ƪ õ ŵ ~
12. “blvck diamonds pearls” – spvceghostpurrp
13. “a man’s life” – mondre m.a.n.
14. “she got it” – 2pistols ft. t-pain
15. “let’s get blown” – snoop dogg

last night was the first show where i am not sure if anyone was listening live or not. that might be just as well, since the vibe was very much about creating a solitary fort underneath bedsheets fitting 1-2 people. if a blogger has an online radio show and no one listens to it, is it still sexy?

street science: club ice cap dot com

playlist:

1. “massacooramaan theme” – massacooramaan
2. “crepuscle” – nevin
3. “sizzurp valley” – creampie
4. “la isla bonita” – sonora
5. “lotus flower bomb” – dj kiff “mr.ocheekanowow”
6. “say yes 2k11” – dj manny
7. “get paid” nadus
8. “my bad (dj mike q ballroom remix) – party squad ft. roxy cottontail
9. “i’m on one (unicorn kid stadium mix) – drake
10. “sweaty” – FLYBVCK & jairomendez
11. “dubious prey” – lamin fofana
12. “hood by air theme” – kingdom
13. “who da neighbors” – dj sliink
14. “pimpin smokin dro” – los rakas ft. e-40

ゲット [download]

street science has been an interesting process for me. to quote a tweet from this article on seapunk aptly lol’d at by wayne, “are you URL or IRL?”*

i thought street science would lean more IRL than URL, so i am really ecstatic when i get when i have guests. but whenever i do a show on my own, i get to expose my love affair with making the consumption of music from the internet as effortless and efficient as possible.** consuming media online can be anxiety-provoking and requires stamina, but it’s good to let it work for you a little. in this respect, i feel like a toddler in the shallow end of a very deep pool of diggers, but IT’S ALL THE SAME WATER. we are all in this together.

this is my offering to the goddess of transparency:

• i subscribe to 100+ music blogs in my rss feed, google reader. i miss the share function, which allowed passing and receiving gems with friends, but the mourning period is over. i star items that i like or suspect i am going to like, being careful to skim through posts by my faves, incl. weird magic, palms out sounds, 401.mx and others. can’t divulge too much, you know? (but if you holler, i will totz send you the whole bundle)
• i have 1,000+ favorited tweets. some are hahas or profound thoughts from my friends, but most are those that have intriguing media links i can’t get to during a normal day.
• i just started saving favorites in soundcloud. it’s a baby step, but i am working on optimizing it.
• people send me stuff sometimes over email. when i first started this blog, i began to get a lot of promo emails from mostly latin american labels and artists. much of that has tapered off, since i have so veered off that track, but sometimes i get occasional jewels.
• the weekend before a show, i sit down and stream through all the hearts and stars in my e-verse and try to come up with a nice story that i want to tell. stories about the recent weeks on the internet.  hopefully sometimes they can also tell about what’s going on in real life streets, nightclubs, beaches and bedrooms.

this week’s story is about a couple meeting at a club on a melting polar ice cap.

*just in case you missed it, my article for cluster on seapunk

**i don’t really buy that much music. definitely not cds or singles on itunes or beatport. if anything, i will buy vinyl (old or new), mixtapes with artwork, or whatever i can get directly from the artist. even then, those instances are fewer than i’d like. 2012 resolution: spend more on music, but keep it ethical. might try to post some SOPA related links over the weekend

street science: 2011 recap

WHAT A GLORIOUS YEAR OF MUSIC!

i was blessed this year to return to a passion of community, non-commercial radio on washington heights free radio. not only has it been a great way to share my favorite “super-under” music with the people i love (and random people on the internet), but i’ve also been able to share the music of some of my favorite local djs. of the 23 shows i did this year, i wanted to highlight these 6 for one reason or another, but i am incredibly happy to share the whole archive. click on the linked titles to see the playlists.

4/13 – a very based show w/raythedestroyerゲット [download]

this was me rediscovering a passion for rap music that i hadn’t felt since  the early 2000s. the continued dominance of ofwgkta, lil b, and the emergence clams casino, spaceghostpurrp, frank ocean, the weeknd, shabazz palaces, even kreayshawn (i gave her the college try) have reinvigorated hip hop and brought it to new, thoughtful, based, complex levels. i feel squeamish being self-congratulatory, but i remember many of these acts being unknown or barely known at this point, so its cool to listen back and remember the joy of discovery. this is also the first show that i felt comfortable on the mic with ray by my side. our rapport is the best. i wish we had a talk show.

 4/27 – tijuana swag jamzゲット [download]

this was a precursor for my article on los macuanos for cluster mag. i was, and still am, fascinated by ruidoson, crunk cumbia, and other sounds of “alt cumbia”. i find it frustrating when bands and djs find themselves clutching to traditionalism and sampling of folk sounds while also poo-pooing new, experimental, indie-leaning interpretations, especially when the music is really, really good. i had thought that street science was going to be much more latin-american oriented than it ended up being, so i am happy that i took this rare opportunity to express my love for new (mostly) mexican music.

5/11 – beachside oversaturationゲット [download]

this is what 2011 felt like to me. it felt hazy, warped, filtered, and emotional. i think this is street science’s sound.

7/20 – radiation therapy w/venus xゲット [download]

okay. in short, i started going to ghe20 g0th1k summer 2010 and was a fan from the start, but i didn’t meet venus until after the nonsense with diplo. i went up to her when she performed at que bajo in april to show her love and found her to be supportive, inspirational, but more than anything sweet. sometimes having a hero also be a friend can be amazing and that’s what i think our show together was. one of the criticisms of our show i’ve heard is that we giggled too much. that is too bad, because radio should be fun and pardon me for being overwhelmed by the delight of a young, half-dominican/half-ecuadorian woman and a young, half-black/half-ecuadorian woman having an open, unfiltered dialogue about music, culture and politics. DREAMS DO COME TRUE. also, her sets were dope as shit. totally worth a close listen.

8/17 – flatbush fiyah w/dj rainstickゲット [download]

i had the most fun during this show. tony really brought a community/pirate radio vibe to his set which really elevated street science. his enthusiasm is infectious, as are his sets. i have to admit that the embedded track is 10mins shorter than the link on the whfr site, because there were some technical difficulties in the beginning, but this is way better for your ears.

12/7 – drizzlyゲット [download]

um. this is the mixtape i made for you. yes, you. hope you like it. sorry the playlist is a bit wonky, but imagine it as the back of a cassette tape and it’ll make more sense.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY GUESTS THIS YEAR. YOU WERE ALL SO SPECIAL AND REALLY BLESSED ME WITH YOUR VISITS:

PLANETACLAIRE

WAER ROCK

RAYTHEDESTROYER

SENARI

COUSIN COLE

TENDERMAN

VENUS X

DJ RAINSTICK

MAX PEARL

CHIEF BOIMA

LE1F

TALIESIN

BURT FOX

SPECIAL THANKS TO STEVE, KAYE, VERN, WILL, AND JOE!

SUPPORT COMMUNITY RADIO!

street science: 305 family reunion

tonight on street science, my guest will be burt fox of riot control nyc, who will be bringing in some 90’s booty music from hie hometown of miami.  we’ll be talking about the history of the scene, from 80’s freestyle and early bass music to the local radio in the 90’s.

here’s what else he has to say:

the personality of miami is not subtle. club and drug culture has always been big. it’s really hot out…i think it’s interesting how a local style developed that captured that personality really well and how that relates to the importance of “being yourself” as a human being or artist or whatever..   that you will shine the brightest and be the most charismatic when you embrace who you are.  it’s not a popular style anymore, but it’s still beloved by the people there. i think a lot of that is because the people who made it did a great mixture of their own personalities, the personality of the city, and the ideas they got from building it up together.

not being from florida, i always got the impression that the booty music scene was like family, with personalities with names like uncle al and uncle luke.

dj uncle al – menalo

 

we’re also going to get into booty music with latin crossover appeal from djs such as dj laz.

dj laz – esa morena

 

finally, music from and for the club can only be measured by the dance moves it inspires. let us all remember the positive get down energy inspired by peanut butter jelly time.

 

tune in TONIGHT on whfr.org from 10pm-11pm.

also, the archive is up from the show two weeks ago with le1f and its a great listen.  he really opened up a lot about his music, what it’s like being a struggling artist in nyc, seapunk (more on that soon), and did a couple of amazing live sets.  CHECK IT OUT!

 

street science: born underwater

merman swag

been following the bol le1f for a minute.  ever since i heard his smooth riff over nguzunguzu’s hate 2 wait, i knew that i had found the tenderspookybanjee* r&b rapper of my dreams.  i have had the pleasure of seeing him twice this summer–opening for shabazz palaces in may and then again at s!ck with dj rashad and dj godfather.  his live performance style can be shy at times, which i find really endearing, but when he’s on, he’s ELECTRIC, FUN, and DELIGHTFULLY SEDUCTIVE.

le1f going to be my guest tonight on street science tonight! my FIRST live performance which i am more than a little nervous about, but i’m bringing incense and prayer candles to whfr headquarters and pray that posi vibes will abound. also, tal1es1n is going to be in the studio as a guest dj for the occasion, which i’m sure will bring more blessings.

LISTEN TONIGHT FROM 10PM-11PM ON WHFR.ORG!

BONUS: head over to palms out sounds to check out a new track le1f produced with POS’ boody b

http://palmsout.net/2011/boody-le1f-born-underwater/

*tenderspookybanjee is the new crazysexycool

street science: fall night

the google image search for “fall night” is really rich. just saying.

the best part of my show last night is how much fun i had doing it. there’s really not much more to it. i hope you feel it.

pm_jawn “street science 7.21.11: rap is where it’s at” ゲット [DL]

playlist:

1. untitled- keith fullerton whitman. see this.
2. “magnetic blackness” – champagne champagne x THEEsatisfaction
3. “born underwater” – boody x le1f
4. “papap! papap!”- dirty paraffin
5. “play (remix)” – goapele x los rakas
6. “beach cruiser” – fam-lay
7. “mystery brethren environment (child’s view remix)” – mice parade
8. “guardian” – lunice
9. “uptown shorty” – VENUS X GODDESS
10. “rashida jones” – morri$
11. “levert” – davis
12. “don’t go down” – dj clent
13. “leviticus” – philip d kick
14. “4 loko” – smoke dza x asap rocky
15. “rolling thunder” – gorgeous children

street science: african zouk

there are things that are awful about new york: the smell, the weather, the cost, the constant psychic fatigue.  but sometimes it’s worth it for the fact that there is an infinite pool of amazing people with infinite knowledge about music.

i feel so lucky to welcome chief boima to my show tonight, who is one of the most knowledgeable people about contemporary african music out there.

tonight, i am going to pick his brain about the zouk influence in african music. i really like haitian zouk and how it long-lasting its impression has been on african r&b music. i have a fascination with trying to figure out why a lot of romantic-leaning, slower tempo global dance genres are slept on.  i think that nguzunguzu’s perfect lullaby mix has been a good corrective measure for this, but there’s lot’s more work to be done!

here is a sampling of what might be on the show tonight:

nigerian zouk

pan-franco-caribbean-kassav in in congo-kinshasa

afro-zouk innovator, oliver n’goma

 

i usually have some insight or knowledge base about each show’s content, but tonight i am riding blind. i am going to bring a notepad, a girly drink, and open ears. you should too!

whfr.org tonight from 10pm-11pm

bonus: the last show with max pearl is up! hopefully, we can get a playlist in there at some point, but it’s totally worth it for the impressively npr-ish conversation.

recap: zuzuka poderosa takes control

my iphone flick!

I profiled Zuzuka Poderosa for Cluster Mag and it was published today!

Firstly, Cluster Mag is the squad. I said in my last post that “our only affiliation is love”. A bit abstract and just a weird say that I don’t ride blindly for a clique, but I offer wholehearted support and shine towards my extended fam. Shouts to Lamin for this tweet. Cluster Mag is a forum and I am so so excited and happy about contributing to it. Max and Oliver do an amazing job of encouraging open discourse on things that I am passionate about and I’ll keep writing for them for as long as they’ll have me. I also encourage anyone who has a passion project/idea/mix that would be constrained at other publications to pitch it to them. I know y’all are out there. This is the boat.

I said so many words on Zuzuka that there’s not much more to say besides the fact that she’s incredibly generous and I personally got a ton out of her outlook on life and only a portion of that made the final product. The most painful thing that I just couldn’t find room for was about her cooking show and twitter, Zu Can Cook, which y’all should check out.

Oh, okay.  There are a few lines that I am sad that got cut:

For the show, she channeled Grace Jones-does-Wonder Woman. She donned her black cape, vintage-style floral one-piece bathing suit, and makeup done with cat eyes—accentuating her classic pinup looks.   It’s almost impossible not to compare her iconographic performance of femininity, theatricality, and sexuality with that of the great goddess of brasilidade/brazilianess, Carmen Miranda.  They both serve composed sex appeal a little wink.

Carmen Miranda, 4eva.

The photo shoot was the most fun working day of my life. I didn’t do much but carry camera bags, but the whole squad came together like we knew each other in the womb. Also, the day ended with delicious tacos and hanging out in Max and Oliver’s pool. So much love to Delilah, Leah, Valissa, Charlene, Natty, Kiyan, and Oliver!!!

Finally, thank you to Claire, Puja, Kaye, and especially Lily–all amazing writers who blessed me amazing advice on this piece.  Lily dropped this quote from Nelly Richard’s The Insubordination of Signs: Political Change, Cultural Transformation, and the Poetics of the Crisis:

Images predominate that sublimate art by offering representations of artists and their creations floating on a dematerialized plane, where they fetichistically display an excess of sensitivity or imagination destined to retouch- decoratively, “femininely” – social discursivity.

Like, word, yo. (I kid).

As always comments/criticisms are encouraged here or email me at alexis [dot] com [at] gmail [dot] com

Sent from my iPhone

street science: flatbush in august

this wednesday on street science, i am pleased to have dj rainstick (aka @FACEDRUM) of cool places soundsystem at my guest.  i don’t think i’ve ever been this nervous to have someone on the show. i’m a little shook at how ill and underground the cool places tumblr is. extreme urban foraging in the deep interwebz:

so super under (soo-PARE oon-DARE). i’m really excited because he’s bringing some sounds of flatbush ave, brooklyn in august including dusty pirate radio rips and carnival tunes.  think romance, body glitter, nuvo, $2 dollar vans, embellished men’s jeans, vocoders, and hella different types of sirens.

we’ll also probably chat about his below the brain, his mind-melt of an experimental film about last year’s west indian day parade. peep the trailer:

i can’t wait to see the premiere at BAM on september 1st, right in time for this year’s labor day parade. prepared to journey the film’s website? belowthebrain.com

LISTEN LIVE THIS WEDNESDAY 10PM-11PM. COMMUNITY RADIO OVER THE INTERNET. WWW.WHFR.ORG. EVENTUALLY TO BE ADDED TO STREET SCIENCE’S GROWING ARCHIVE. OUR ONLY ALLEGIANCE IS TO LOVE.

moon in the 3rd house

it’s one of those rare days. when two mixes are released that align perfectly with your emotional state.

emotional state: emotional

blk. adonis & leleira – adonis-dna

dubbel dutch – slow club mix

street science: feeling continental, then weird

pm_jawn, “street science 8.3.11: feeling continental, then weird” ゲット [DL]

1. “sheka sheka (festus remix)” – davis ntare
2. “tas gufft & quett” – gaiola dance
3. “nos ki nos” – dj canano mix
4. “sizohnalanga ku facebook” – dj cleo *YEEEEBOOOOO*
5. “wassup” – bradez
6. “bodega” – prince quan luv feat. old money
7. “fun (remix)” – spice & missy elliot
8. “shottas (nguzunguzu remix) – munchi
9. “drop low” – dj clent
10. “lord of the game (ft. mexican girl)” – death grips
11. “burning the codices (mexican with guns remix)” – jorge reyes & samuel zyman
12. “bee nose (put yr face on)” – pink skull
13. “aftermath (rizzla edit) – tricky
14. “beach” – side 9000
15. “seduced” – seduced
16. “double rocker” – stereolab
17. “medeh” – mohamed “rosso”
18. “ayoo (instrumental)” – appietus

i really had a lot of fun last night with this show.  i started off with a set of lil sweet jams from africa. been feeling kizomba/tarraxa/funana for a while now.  i feel like harder, more aggressive dance music (yang) from africa tends to be focused on, while a lot of the soft, romantic songs (yin) get overlooked even though they motivate just as much. thanks to the perfect lullaby mix, that’s changing.  my friend, fred, described that mix as freebasing mystery and pouring relaxation into your eyeballs. more things in that vibe, please.

then dj cleo. this song has been in HEAVY household rotation these days:

after that, i just started having some fun. i’m pretty charmed by these dudes:

how great would a nyc-foodstuffs-centric concert be with them, so tiri, and the pan con queso dudes?!?!?!

it could be at fairway, just sayin.

i kinda let loose for the rest of the show with a bunch of awesome new sounds that i have been excited by.  in two wednesdays (8.17) my special guest will be dj rainstick of cool places soundsystem.  he incinerated zebulon on friday night. when he dropped this dj clent track, i went slightly bananas for a minute, recognizing the YMO sample from computer games and insisted he send it to me. i am only imagining how far he’ll be able to delve out into spacetime. until then!

radiation therapy w/venus x

i was so excited about the show last night that i am doing something a bit differently and posting the show here before it makes its way up on the whfr site.

last night was a lot of fun, mostly because it was a relaxed and open conversation with dope music interspersed.  venus does speak softly so you may have to keep within reach of the volume dial in order to hear some of the things that she has to say.  also, anyone who knows us personally knows that we both incorporate a lot of “um”s “yea”s and “like”s conversationally.  i promise to work harder to get away from that!  but we ended up talking about some good stuff: ghe20 g0th1k, chaos, imperfection, outspokeness, cdjs, shakira, mad decent, shakedown, anonymous, etc.

pm_jawn & venus x, “street science 7.21.11: radiation therapy” ゲット [DL]

street science: parlay with miss venus x

entrancing .gif via traphouseblog

venus x – hard destiny live mix tape

ghe20 g0th1k is the best party in new york city.  it’s been a no brainer for me to go on friday nights this summer, because the party perfectly encapsulates what is liberating, mind-expanding, and sexy about global underground dance music.  just check out july’s lineups:

7.1.11 gantman/mykki blanco/mike q/lit city

7.15.11 rizzla/le1f/telfar

7.22.11 total freedom/brenmar/nguzunguzu

7.29.11 jubilee/zuzuka poderosa

ghe20 g0th1k has re-centralized new york city as a dominant node of progressive, artsy, banjee, bassy nightlife.*

the queen b at the center of this hive (along with $hayne) is venus x, who is going to join me on street science tonight to talk hardstyle, reggaeton, dembow, shakira, controversy, DRAMA, party-throwing, building a music community, lady thangs, and being an unapologetically sassy diva.  i’ve basically begged her to come on for a few months and its finally paying off and i cannot contain my anticipation.

tune in tonight on whfr.org from 10pm-11pm.

*that’s a BIG statement, but it’s time to think that big.

street science summer update

recently i’ve strayed away from doing themed radio shows with guests and have gone back to the standard “this is what i’m feeling at the moment”. the past two shows have just been archived and they definitely encapsulate my general vacillation between tropical dance jams and spaced-out hip-hop-influenced moody music:

6.22.11-feel something

1. “i don’t smoke” – matias aguayo
2. “dj got us fallin’ in love (chief boima remix)” – usher
3. “jamaica” – vybz kartel
4. “yezzi mil viss”-king abid
5. “timbs (neon coyote slow jam)” – le1f
6. “swerve…the reeping of all that is worthwhile (noir not withstanding)” – shabazz palaces
7. “shed” – oval
8. “you (planningtorock remix)” – creep
9. “feel something” – holy other
10. “oh donna (los macuanos’ the moons of kixly edit)” – ritchie valens
11. “marvin’s room (screwed and chopped by sabi)” – drake
12. “natural” – clams casino
13. “bxxn fwxvgo” – spvcxghxztpvrrp

7.6.11-midsummer fantasy

1. “at2 (screwed by vph lol)” – araabmuzik
2. “trapped in prison” – lil b
3. “hacienda del mar” – kixly
4. “bajito a selva” – rita indiana
5. “puerto alegria” – maria y jose
6. “danze street makossa” – banana clipz
7. “let me know (tasting)” – brenmar
8. “so fo real” – free magic
9. “brigher days (just blaze remix)” – cajmere ft. dajae
10. “plains” – magic mountain
11. “mosaik” – zomby
12. “interleave (kindgom remix)” – win win

reminder: the station managers of washington heights free radio also opened and manage word up community bookshop, a pop-up bookstore in washington heights.  the lease just got extended through september, so if you are in the neighborhood, stop by!  i live in brooklyn, but its been amazing spending time uptown for my show and to be at the bookstore. the plan is to investigate more local artists, djs, and producers to have on the show in the next few months, but summer has stung me with its golden tentacles for now.

in the meantime, catch me on wednesday from 10-11pm on whfr.org. lord willing, there’ll be a possible super special guest i’ll be able to confirm in the next few days.

boobahton post-mortem: are we dead yet?

Ok, so the short “flyer essay” I half-assed got posted on a moombahton facebook group thread that generated 400+ comments. I was made aware yesterday at work and since I was busy, I just monitored it throughout the day trying to figure out if it had any meaning, since most of it seemed like standard boring internet dj chatter.  I don’t really care much about the site traffic, but interestingly, I got exactly one comment on the post here.  I was hesitant to comment in the facebook thread too, because of all the trolling, all of the comments being twisted, and the ache of APATHY. As a woman music critic of color, I’ve felt out of sync with the target market of dj culture for about a decade. Nothing new to me that my ideas on women and flyer design aren’t stamped with approval.

I am surprised though that this smart counter-argument wasn’t fleshed out: the album covers for reggaeton and cumbia bootlegs from Latin America, as reference points for moombahton, are strictly T&A, so what’s my problem?

Yes, Andy (luh u), you right. It’s about the patriarchy: in Latin America, in dj culture, in Internet forums. Why are people complaining that I’m complaining about that?

You right. Me and Bent were trying to sort it out, but this forum was def productive for that too.

I don’t really know James, but he stepped up as the defender of the blog posts and was super patient, misunderstood at times, became the scapegoat, got kicked out the forum, then reinstated. I nominate him Superintendent of Trolls: 2011.

Munchi is the dude. No matter how much I may question/try to sort out moombahton personally, dude has got THE TOUCH to get this blaquadorian dancing.

Having strong women in your life is a beautiful thing.  I love orion’s music and the peligrosa party. That being said, there was a strong anti-academic/ethnomusicology sentiment in the thread that makes me feel like linking to history might be unproductive, but it might be worth googling: tikitech, primitivism, criticism of Josephine baker, the cult of respectability, spicy Latina, how to photograph Africa

Swish

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT (this doubles as a @heems tribute post)

Can’t wait to pregame with her before the peligrosa party

J Shep is too real for this world. Still half-regretting my single post to the forum, i doubt that i will again. Everyone who commented (including myself) should perform a ritual seppuku because this is obviously the most important thing any of us have ever done.

#backupdancers

more rita from this weekend:

la reina

my cell phone video of rita indiana performing “jardinera” during her 5 song set tonight at drom for LAMC. she so beautiful/powerful/special.  can’t wait to see her two more times on saturday.

the symbol of moombahton

whenever anyone asks me how i feel about moombahton, i want to be able to go non-verbal and have these posters on hand as a slide show.  or have this great article by dj bent on hand.  the last one gets to me, because of the involvement of so many of the ladies that i have so much love for. objectification aside, the bad graphic design and lack of originality is almost more offensive.

i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again, moombahton needs better people.

not-so-lazy days

i cannot say that i’ve been silent here because of laziness.  i’ve had the busiest few weeks of my life, maybe. but i’m finding a surprising balance of family, work, friends, my love affair with the internet, writing, music listening, and a lot of great shows in nyc.

i don’t really like doing party recaps here. parties are so ethereal and it’s hard to capture the essence of something, especially when i have such a small audience. it doesn’t seem worth the effort.  i’ve started taking more and more video at shows. the sound is usually terrible and the clips are short–i quickly get bored of recording, rather than experiencing, performances–but it’s addictive.

here is some footage of kingdom, nguzunguzu, and total freedom at THE TABLE last night:

what do you see? hear? feel?

bonus: here is an unlistenable, but pretty clip of liturgy at the knitting factory a few weeks (feels like years) ago: